


A Bona Fide Star

by StrictlyFromCorn (orphan_account)



Series: Dancing in the Dark [4]
Category: Astaire/Rogers RPF, Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers Movies
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-02
Updated: 2014-06-02
Packaged: 2018-02-03 05:04:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1732178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/StrictlyFromCorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soon after the roaring success of The Gay Divorcee, Mayer calls Fred in and offers him a lucrative contract. The catch? He's going to have to work with Ginger, and the dancing star is less than willing to endure being so close - and yet so far, to the girl he loves the most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bona Fide Star

**Author's Note:**

> OH GOSH.  
> This is so so so so so late, again, I'm so sorry! But I hope you like it anyway, and I promise, the next chapter won't have such a lengthy wait!

“But _think_ , Fred, _think_. You can’t let your feelings get in the way of the progress of your career.” Hermes’ tone showed how exasperated he was. He had just spent the last two hours talking to his best friend about the contract that Mayer had offered him – and Ginger, as a team.

“I know, I know! Hermes, _what is wrong with me_? I mean… I loved Ginger when she was back in New York - that sassy, cute little redhead, and now when I look at her, she’s so different. She’s this sophisticated blonde lady, and so help me, I’ve fallen even harder. Do you know how much of an effort it is for me to keep my hands off of her? Because I keep reminding myself that she’s _married_. I can’t stand it. I can’t stand being around her, because I love her, and I can’t have her. I just want to go back to New York, before I do something that I regret.” The frown on Fred’s face betrayed how much the issue troubled him, and he kept fidgeting with his striped tie as he poured out his problems to his friend. He let out a deep sigh as he exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke, waiting with a little bit of dread for Mayer to return to his office.

“It’s a tough spot, I’ll give ya that, Freddie, but it’s still no reason for you to throw your entire career away. Do I need to remind you how successful _The Gay Divorcee_ was? C’mon, you at least owe it to the American public, if no one else! Everyone has accepted the pairing of Astaire and Rogers. You can’t just throw your share of it away. And what do you think Adele will say when she hears that you had a shot at success and just rejected it because you can’t be with Ginger?” Hermes rounded on Fred, placing both his hands on the glass table that Mayer used. “When he comes in here with the contract, you’re going to sign it, all right?”

“I… I have to think about it, Hermes.” The dancer replied vaguely, trying to think about what he was going to say the studio head, who would return in a moment. A small part of Hermes started to wonder what he had gotten himself into – he had only come to Hollywood to choreograph, not get himself involved in relationship problems. But he was undeniably invested in the outcome of the relationship between Fred and Ginger, perhaps because he could tell that they were genuinely in love. “I’ll just tell him I need more time. He said I could take my time, so…”

“Fred, if there’s one thing you’ve got to do, it’s to stop moping around. Sure, Mayer says these things, but if I were in his place and I had offered someone a contract three times, and they kept saying they needed more time, I’d be pretty darn annoyed. And if you don’t sign it now, we won’t be able to start work on the next movie. I heard they bought the rights for the Jerome Kern show _Roberta_. Now, look, I’d really like to work with you and Ginge again. Honestly, I believe that no one can dance with Ginger, except you, and create the same magic.” Hermes was starting to get a little tired of his friend’s indecisiveness and frequent episodes of melancholy. He knew the news of her engagement, and subsequent marriage, changed the way Fred behaved. Before that, he was indescribably happy and full of life, and now, he was just a brooding, upset man, far beyond his years.

“I get what you’re tryin’ to say, but-” The dancer cut off his protest as he was met with an annoyed look from his friend. “I just wish it could be like New York again.” With those words, Fred summoned to memory the first time he’d ever met Ginger - through a favor he was doing for his best friend, George Gershwin.

 

* * *

 

_“And I’d like you to meet Ginger Rogers, the wonderful gal whom you’re gonna be choreographing for. Ginge, I’d like you to meet Fred Astaire, one of my best friends in the world.” George smiled as he introduced the two dancers to each other, infinitely glad that Fred had found the time to come to the theatre and help them out of the tough spot they were in._

_“Mr. Astaire, I’m such a big fan of yours, and…” Ginger’s blue eyes were full of wonder as she shook hands with the man she had heard so much about. “Oh, it’s great to finally meet you.” She could hardly believe that he was going to choreograph a dance for her. What a lucky gal she was - singing and dancing to a Gershwin song, with Fred Astaire helping!_

_“It’s wonderful to meet you too, Miss Rogers.” Fred smiled politely, although he was quickly distracted by someone shouting, “If you don’t get yourself over here in the next minute, George, I swear, I’ll-”_

_“Get off my back, Ira! I’ll be there! After all, I’m not the only person who can play the piano in this whole damned theatre!” George shouted back at his older brother, who was impatiently standing by the upright piano in the orchestra pit._

_“But you’re the only one that knows what the hell these key changes are supposed to mean!” Reading George’s music was another ball game entirely. Sometimes, he was the only one who could play the compositions because they were so hard._

_“All right, give me five minutes! You’re starting to sound an awful lot like Mom!” The composer responded in an irritated tone and shook his head. “Sorry. Now, uh, you two, cut out the formalities, because we don’t have time for them. We’ve got two days to get the choreography finalized and into the show, all right? Don’t spend two or three hours introducing yourselves. Just pretend that you’re old friends or something, okay? I’d better go now, before Ira bites my head off. You two can use the foyer out there because we’re going to have all the chorus girls up on stage for this number.” With that, George gave each of them a pat on the back and dashed into the theatre, ready to translate that difficult sheet music into piano-playing._

_“George is quite a guy, isn’t he?” Fred asked out loud with a laugh as he watched his friend stop to say hello to a pretty lady and flirt with her - before Ira called him again, and he finally left. “Flirts with every girl he sees.” The dancer glanced at the girl standing next to him and briefly wondered if George had done the same thing with her. Ginger - wasn’t that her name? - was pretty attractive, if he gave the matter some thought. And no doubt talented, considering that she had been elevated from the status of a mere chorus girl to an actual role in the play._

_“Trust me, I know all about that.” Ginger grinned as she started to make her way to the foyer. “He nearly got punched in the face the other day after rehearsals because he flirted with someone’s fiance.” She wondered if Fred was that kind of a guy, too. Oh, he would have no problem with girls, because he was an actor, dancer, and a singer. A triple threat. And now that she had met him off-stage, he struck her as a very modest and polite kind of guy. “Is over here all right?” The dancer asked, choosing a spot just behind the building, so that they were out of the others’ way._

_“Sure.” Fred shrugged, figuring that there was plenty of space anyway. To be honest, he was just delighted at the prospect of dancing with this pretty young lady. “So, have you all figured out where you’re going to make your entrance from? I kinda thought we could do it this way…”_

Their first meeting was jovial enough – but the two suddenly experienced an intense attraction to each other, and by the end of the month, a romantic relationship had been developed between Fred and Ginger.

_Was it the morning already? Fred’s hazel eyes fluttered open at the strong sunlight that was pouring in through the open window of Ginger’s bedroom, a vague realization in the back of his head that he had fallen asleep while cuddling with her. He’d come over for dinner at night, and after that was over with, they had spent a few hours just lying down on her bed and talking, but apparently, they’d spent the whole night that way._

_The dancer still had both his arms wrapped around his girlfriend, who was also sound asleep. At the sight of her, looking so serene and peaceful - and still blindingly beautiful, Fred couldn’t help but smile. The prospect of seeing Ginger’s face the first thing in the morning and last thing at night was very appealing to him. Part of him wanted to shift position and brush out the wrinkles in his Brooks suit, but the other part of Fred didn’t want to disturb Ginger’s sleep. On top of that, she had her arms around his neck, and he would hate to break that physical contact. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait in that position for long - she stirred soon after, too._

_“Fred? It’s, uh-” Her sleepy mind hadn’t quite put together the pieces of the puzzle yet. “Oh, I guess we fell asleep together.” A smile spread across the dancer’s face at the words, showing her boyfriend that she didn’t mind it at all. “You feel so warm against me.” The comment came out of seemingly nowhere, but Ginger couldn’t remember the last time she had cuddled with someone she loved so much. It was a wonderful feeling._

_“We should do this more often, then.” Fred replied flirtatiously, knowing that it was taboo for them to be like that, considering that they weren’t married, but the dancer could frankly care less. As long as he was with Ginger, social customs didn't matter to him. And besides – he thought she was dynamite in bed anyway._

_"I know, but Lela is always around." Thankfully, Ginger's mother hadn't returned home that night, so she didn't catch the two lovers spending the night in one bed. Their best guess was that she was working overtime again, and that was a good thing, for the two of them, at least._

_“What’s your morning routine like, Ginge?” He asked in mild curiosity, not having given that matter much thought before. “Do you read the paper, do you brush your teeth, do you make coffee – you know, those kinds of things?” For some reason, Fred wanted to know everything there was to know about Ginger. She fascinated him as a person, and he had to admit, he’d never felt so close to someone, romantically, in his whole life._

_“Well, usually, I get up at six and get the paper – I don’t read it much, though, and then make breakfast for Mom and myself, and take a shower, because rehearsals are at seven-thirty—“ The word “rehearsals” suddenly flicked a switch in both performers._

_“What time is it now?” Fred burst out, frantically checking his watch. “Oh, God, it’s ten!” He wasn’t quite obligated to be at the theatre, since he wasn’t going to be part of the show, but the dancer had a reputation for punctuality, and he instantly felt bad for letting the people at the theatre down._

_“Oh, my goodness – George is gonna kill me!” Ginger was suddenly alert and awake as she ran around the apartment like a crazy woman, trying to get her things in order. “They’re all gonna be so mad!”_

_“Here.” Fred grabbed his own black overcoat and slipped it on before helping his girlfriend on with hers. “It’s not George you’re gonna have to worry about – he’s stood me up so many times at rehearsals because he was so hung-over. It’s Ira! C’mon, we’ve got no time to lose.” He grabbed Ginger by the hand and the couple soon found themselves running down to the Broadway theatre as soon as possible, pushing through the thick New York crowd._

_“Say, Freddie, don’t break your neck!” She called out as she steered Fred past a banana peel that he’d nearly run straight into._

_“Don’t worry about mine – worry about yours instead, Ginge!”_

 

* * *

 

Those days in New York were nothing but fond memories for Fred at that point. The kiss in the back of his car occupied his mind almost all the time, but the fact that Ginger was doing the same to Lew every single day just burned him up more than he knew was good for him. Fred _never_ acted upon his jealousy, but it was there, all right - just buried in the back of his mind and kept well-hidden by the manners that had been instilled in him from a small age.

“I hate to be blunt, but this _isn’t_ New York any longer. It’s Hollywood - and you know what they say about this town. You’ve got to change, keep up with the times, or you’ll go stale. And the three of us - you, Ginge, and I _can_ make it here together.” Hermes broke his friend out of his thoughts with that powerful statement. “You’ve got to think about your career, too. You’ve got to start acting sensibly, Fred.”

“You know what? You’re right.” Fred finally conceded with a sigh. “All right, I’ll sign the contract. Everything _doesn’t_ have to revolve around Ginger anyway. We can be dancing partners and I can control myself. I have to, for her sake, and for my sake. I know how much Ginge wants to be successful and I’m not going to take that away from her by refusing to sign this contract. That’d just be selfish of me.” He wasn’t sure how he could be such a different person in front of his dancing partner. With Ginger around, Fred was always smiling and jovial, but when thinking about his feelings for her, he sank to near-depression levels.

Love could do such funny things to people.

“ _That’s_ more like it!” Hermes burst out, glad that Fred finally had seen some sense. “Boy, I thought I’d never get through that thick skull of yours, Freddie.” The choreographer shook his head and brought his cigarette to his mouth when the sound of the door being opened made him look up.

“Have you come to a decision yet, Mr. Astaire?” It was Mayer, with the gruff, businesslike voice. He didn’t wait for a response from either men before sitting down and dipping the pen on his desk in ink. As a matter of fact, the studio head didn’t even look up – instead, he continued to attend to his other work, scribbling on the papers in a neat, methodical hand. “Well?”

“I’ll do it. I’ll sign the contract.” Fred answered quickly, holding his hand out to accept the pen from Mayer. “So, uh, this means… I’ll be working with MGM from now on, right?” He glanced through the contract rapidly once more, figuring that he had better sign it before he changed his mind.

“Yes. You’ll be an MGM star from now on, Mr. Astaire. Rest assured – everything’s going to be splendid from here on out.” Despite his words, the studio head seemed strangely emotionless and neutral as Fred signed his name at the bottom of the stack of papers. It wasn’t as if he was jubliant to have a dancing star of such a calibre join his studio, but it wasn’t as if he was unhappy, either. It was hard to tell what Mayer was thinking – some had bestowed upon him the nickname “Stoneface”, like the legendary Buster Keaton.

Only – Buster was a lot more agreeable than Mayer, and anyone would agree with that.

“There.” Fred flashed a small smile as he handed the contract back to the studio head, who quickly examined it again.

“Thank you, Mr. Astaire.” He held his hand out for a handshake, which was reciprocated by the dancer. “I’ll have somebody call you and inform you of the production dates for _Roberta_ – that’s going to be your next movie, with Miss Rogers, of course. Well, that’s all. Thank you again.” Before Fred knew it, Mayer had more or less dismissed him, and the former hadn’t much choice but to rise to his feet. Mayer had a way around people – silently manipulating them, almost, with his air of authority. The dancer knew he was going to have to watch out for that in the future.

“Thanks, too, Mr. Mayer.” Hermes, who had been watching in silence, called as the two of them made their way out of his office. “Gosh, Fred, I was startin’ to think you’d never budge about this topic.” Once they were safely out in the hallway, the choreographer slipped both his hands into his pockets, a somewhat relieved look on his face. “What’s the matter? Cheer up, Freddie! You’re a bona fide star now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah… I’m just hoping that I won’t regret this decision later on.” Fred had lapsed back into that distant, upset state once again.

“You’re impossible. There are people out there who’d kill for a film contract – and here you are, regretting having signed a contract with MGM, of all studios! Now, look at it this way. You’re going to see Ginger a lot from now on – and I know you’re dreading it, but she loves your company. And I know, deep down, you do, too. I am _sure_ you didn’t make the wrong decision, Fred. If you’d had gone away, you’d have thrown away stardom and you’d still be as unhappy – because you’d be thinking about Ginge, all the time. Listen, even if you’re not sure about how she feels about you, at the very least, you’re going to be a big success in movies. And for America’s sake – if not for mine, at least, cheer up. You’re the happy-go-lucky Fred Astaire, aren’t you? Well, I want that Fred back. Not this… gloomy man that I see right now.”

“Aw, Hermes.” Despite himself, Fred found a smile growing on his face. “Thanks. You’re a pal.”


End file.
